Professor Swain’s work on representation and race relations has earned her national and international accolades. Her highly acclaimed book, Black Faces, Black Interests: The Representation of African Americans in Congress (1993, 1995 Harvard University Press; reprinted in 2006 by University Press of America) was named one of the seven outstanding academic books of 1994 by Library Choice Journal, received the 1994 Woodrow Wilson prize for the best book published in the U.S. on government, politics or international affairs, the Hardeman Prize for best scholarly work on Congress during 1994-1995, and was the co-winner of the Key Award for the best book published on southern politics. Black Faces was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy in Johnson v. DeGrandy (1994) and by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in Georgia v. Ashcroft (2003).

Her other books include: Be the People: A Call to Reclaim America’s Faith and Promise (Thomas Nelson Press, 2011). Debating Immigration (Cambridge University Press, 2007), Contemporary Voices of White Nationalism (Cambridge University Press, 2003, edited with Russ Nieli), The New White Nationalism in America: Its Challenge to Integration (Cambridge University Press, 2002) that was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, and Race Versus Class: The New Affirmative Action Debate (University Press of America, 1996).

A widely recognized expert on race relations, immigration, black leadership and evangelical politics, Professor Swain has served on the Tennessee Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission and she is currently a member of the National Endowment for the Humanities Council. Her opinion pieces have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times and USA Today. She was a regular contributor to CNN’s Lou Dobbs Tonight, and her media appearances include BBC World News, NPR, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Fox News Live, Fox New’s Hannity, PBS’s News Hour with Jim Lehrer, The Washington Journal and ABC’s Headline News, among other media. Before joining Vanderbilt in 1999, Professor Swain was a tenured associate professor of politics and public policy at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

In October 2012, Professor Swain launched a new television talk show named “Be the People.” It is a half-hour weekly show that airs in middle Tennessee and Chattanooga on local NBC and ABC affiliates. She is also the owner of the Eagle Wings Media, LLC and the founding director of the Carol Swain Foundation.